A real nutmeg. In southeast Asia, we eat the fruit, make in into a cooling drink and even medicine. In the West, the red seed is shaved to make nutmeg spice.
How Orchard Road got its name.
Outside Orchard Central, a nutmeg sculpture. Another sculpture of nutmeg outside ION. Dont tell your friend to meet by the nutmeg sculpture because there are two, one on either ends of Orchard Road.
Photo source: mine
After breakfast, we immediately set off for Aeon Mall next to American village. There is tax free for purchase of 5000¥ above. But bring your passport. What do we buy? Stock up on groceries, the Zojirushi flask half price in Japan, good quality sake, and Japanese cosmetics.
Drive from Chatan to Cape Zanpa and Maeda. It was such a hot day and we were not into anymore limestone rocks.
Didnt realise sea cucumbers are so soft.
Planned to check out Pancake House and Bakery Suien enroute to Churami. Unfortunately for us its closed from 23 Dec to 3 Jan.
Very well worth a visit. I cant absorb beyond an hour. Sea urchins and puffer fish are part of Japanese cuisine. Didnt realise the puffer fish is so cute.
Enroute to Churami SEA Acquarium. Long drive. We entered at 4pm. There is discount at 1280¥ per pax.
Whale sharks and manta rays
Not plants but animals
Photos taken by me in the Acquarium
Big eyes is discovered at 100 to 200m.
Its really an experience looking at the exhibits and walking around. Although the acquarium’s official closing time is 630pm in winter, the exhibits are far apart. The last entry is 530pm. So when you enter at 4pm, you only have time for the main Churami acquarium and feeding time of the whale shark at 5pm.
I had booked the night at Cielo Unten which is 35 mins away. But the roads were narrow with no street lamps and a different kind of ecperience. Dark cloudy sky, no street lamp. Strong wailing wind. In the end we arrived at 630pm in pitch darkness. What a way to spend Christmas eve.
What an irony to note that our accomodation was next to a good restaurant Coco Neel next door which closed for thr day just as we arrived.
We went to bed hungry on Christmas Eve with nothing to watch on tv. Only to discover a restaurant Coco Neel was literally beside our restaurant and closed at 630pm.
Accommodation:
CIELO UNTEN（シエロウンテン）
〒905-0403 沖縄県国頭郡今帰仁村 運天402-2
098-989-7617
https://g.co/kgs/2H9BLk
(Found by searching google map and Facebook for anything near Chillma and Kouri island)
https://www.pistachiogrill.com/
Tonight I had a little gathering with mom and my brother and I wished we can do it more often with small gatherings instead of large family dinners.
My brother brought us to a Mediterranean restaurant headed by Egyptian-born chef Khaled Elelimi. Chef was formerly from Shangrila Hotel. His Chinese wife is maitre d and came over to talk to us. She sounds like a really nice and friendly person.
We had mussels in cream and house-baked Pita Bread for sharing.
Mixed grill with lamp chop, chicken, beef on top of fluffy saffron rice.
According to my brother, Pistachio Grill does chicken really well, the Rosemary Grilled Chicken ($13.90), or Shish Taouk (chicken kebabs served with saffron rice, $17.90). Must try is the off-the-menu Tomahawk Wagyu Steak (good for three to four diners) – order in advance.
For dessert, try Baklava with Ice Cream ($8.90). We went over to Toastbox for tea xiu dai.
We came at 6pm. But by 8pm, the 30-seater restaurant is packed, on a Monday night. Reservations recommended.
Zhongshan Mall has 2 hrs free parking. There is a NTUC Finest supermarket where I bought lemongrass $1.95 for 7 pieces – value for money. Going to make my lemongrass tea!
If you are there in daytime, visit the Sun Yatsen Memorial across the road. Zhongshan is named after Sun Yatsen, the Founding Father of Modern Nationalist China.
Pistachio
20 Ah Hood Road
#01-15 Zhongshan Mall
Singapore 329984
Reservations: 626 6400
Succulents are the rage in recent years and they are easier to manage than vertical greenery.
In Rotorua, near Te Puia, we came across an exciting Food Streat, in an otherwise unexciting shopping area.
Instead of eating at the Te Puia, we drove 5 mins back to the city centre. Although along the way you can spot a Carl’s Junior burger joint, McDonald’s and some Chinese and sushi restaurants.
Eat Streat in the City Centre has Italian, Thai, Indian, British pub food which opens till past lunch time. The Italian was closed by 2pm.
Here we are at CBK, which has a grill, surf n turf, including hand scooped ice cream milkshakes.
But the greenery at Atticus Finch next door caught my eye. Natural and needing little maintenance. You can mix with sedum and even Indian borage.
Hung below the signage to draw attention.
Encheaveria need trimming and propagating when they become too straggly.
Pot Gardening 